Credits
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Summary
Natasha, the queen of an unhappy kingdom, lives in seclusion in her castle, still mourning
the death of her husband, the king, who died ten years ago. One evening, a young
man breaks into her quarters and falls at her feet. Struck by his resemblance to
her husband, Natasha conceals him from the police who are searching for him. Realising
that the young man, Stanislas, is an anarchist who had planned to assassinate her, the
queen declares that he was sent by fate to kill her and so put an end to her years of
grief. However, their destiny appears to follow a different path when Stanislas
and Natasha discover they are in love...
Review
Political intrigue and 19th century romanticism form the basis for this haunting tale
of love from one of France’s greatest creative talents, Jean Cocteau. The film was
adapted from a successful stage play of the same name which Cocteau staged in 1946 with
the same cast. The story was inspired by the mysterious death of King Louis II of
Bavaria, who was found drowned after having strangled his doctor, and the death of Queen
Elisabeth of Austria at the hands of an anarchist.
The parallels with Cocteau’s earlier film, La Belle et la bête, are superficial but nonetheless apparent. In that film, a beautiful young woman finds herself in an isolated castle where she encounters a beast (played by Jean Marais). By falling in love with the creature, she manages to revive his humanity and awake him from his years of reclusion. In L’Aigle à deux têtes, the process is reversed: a potential killer (played by Marais) breaks into a castle where he falls in love with a withdrawn beautiful young woman, breaking the spell of mourning that has imprisoned her for ten years. Although less surreal and visually striking than La Belle et la bête, this later film is just as captivating, with its use of poetic imagery and atmospheric sets. The film’s strength lies partly in Cocteau’s remarkable use of language, but also in the memorable performances from Edwige Feuillère and Jean Marais, two of France’s finest actors who, in this film, form an iconic screen couple. © James Travers 2000 Write a review for this film... User Comments
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